


somewhere, beyond the sea

by thorbiased



Category: Thor (Movies)
Genre: (and he gets one), Alcoholism Recovery, Canon Compliant, Canon Divergent, Gen, Healing, Hurt/Comfort, Surfer! Thor, Surfing, Thor Needs a Hug, post-Avengers: Endgame
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-29
Updated: 2019-09-29
Packaged: 2020-11-07 18:01:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,024
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20821499
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thorbiased/pseuds/thorbiased
Summary: Thor heals by the sea with the help of friends and a surfboard.





	somewhere, beyond the sea

Seafoam tickled Thor’s bare feet, a calm breeze brushed his hair back from his eyes, he fiddled with the too-long sleeves of the Baja hoodie he wore. His lungs filled with the ocean air, and he tasted salt on his tongue. The Nordic sea, green as emerald and just as breathtaking, stretched out before him. His steel blue eyes watched the horizon with the peace of knowing nothing was coming to block his view. Time had changed the once restless and arrogant prince of Asgard. His blood no longer called for war and storm, it called for peace and the gentle rains that brought growth. 

That peace had driven him to the sea. Asgard was well-off with Valkyrie as king, and the world had new Avengers to defend her. Thor was free to do as he pleased. And what he pleased was to live by the sea. 

His home was blue, with a white porch that looked out over the ocean and big windows that let in the sun's light. Inside was small, with just a kitchen, den, and bedroom. Thor liked it just fine. It was warm when it needed to be, shielded him from rain, and did all the other things a house is supposed to do. 

Swimming came naturally. Thor slipped out of his hoodie and sweatpants and shivered against the breeze. The real estate lady, Rachel was her name, told Thor this water wasn’t for swimming. Too cold, she claimed. Thor told her she’d only ever had human clients, and he’d be fine. That wasn’t to say the water wasn’t cold. Because it was shockingly so. But it didn’t kill Thor. It just cleared his mind whenever it needed to be cleared and better than the alcohol ever did. 

The water was calm that morning, so Thor floated on his back with his arms stretched out at his side. The sky was clear and though the air was cold, the sun was warm against his bare skin. At Bruce and Valkyrie’s demand, his new home was devoid of alcohol and filled to the brim with  _ nutrition,  _ so there was less skin for the sun warm. But Thor was healthy, physically. Mentally was coming, slow as molasses some days, but coming. 

Valkyrie drove him to therapy every week. Thor only objected the first two weeks, but after that, as stubborn as he was, he relented. Thor didn’t know if it was working, really. Some days he felt normal, but others he woke up shaking and reaching for bottles that weren’t there. His therapist, a tiny woman named Bonnie who stood at least a foot and a half beneath him but still struck more fear into Thor than any giant or troll ever had, told him he needed a “positive” release for his trauma. 

That’s where surfing came in. 

It was a strange Midgardian sport, and Thor had simply laughed at the videos Bonnie showed him of it. But she told him to find a board and try it anyway, with a promise that they could try something else if it really didn’t help. Korg accompanied him to the surf shop a few towns over from New Asgard. Thor wished he could’ve filmed the look on the shop owner’s face when he saw the Kronan appear. 

The owner, shocked as he was, was very helpful with getting Thor the right board for someone new to the sport. He even gave him a number to call for lessons. Thor left the shop with a number on the back of his hand, and a turquoise longboard with a yellow and orange lightning bolt painted on the middle in the back of Valkyrie’s truck. 

As it turned out, surfing was hard. It required balance and patience and technical skill. But lesson after lesson, wipeout after wipe out, Thor tried. Valkyrie came to watch all the time, often poking fun at Thor’s failures, but cheering the loudest when he finally got it right. 

Months passed before Thor came to Valkyrie with a proposition. 

“I want to teach the kids how to surf,” he said, trailing behind her as she marched through her palace. Her braids swished behind her, as she turned her head down hallway after hallway. The palace was new; Thor guessed she was still figuring out the layout. 

Valkyrie stopped, though, and turned to him. One eyebrow arched high on her forehead. “You want to teach them to  _ what _ ?”

“Surf,” Thor repeated.

“That strange sport you do? With the boards?” 

“Aye,” Thor said with a nod, “It’ll be good for them, I think.”

Valkyrie smiled. “I’ll help you figure it out.”

Thor opened his mouth to thank her, but before he could get the words out, she wrapped him in a hug. Her head rested against his chest, eyes squeezed shut as she gripped him tighter. Thor laughed, startled, but hugged her back. 

“Everything alright, your majesty?” 

“I’m happy for you, Thor,” she said, lifting her eyes so that she and Thor could see each other. “That’s all.” 

Valkyrie kept her promise, of course. Within a month, Thor had an armory of surfboards and an army of young Asgardians to teach. The kids were fast learners, and soon enough, Thor was teaching their parents, as well. What had started as a hobby had turned into a national affair. Everyone surfed—young and old. Valkyrie even joined in. It took her awhile to get it, much to her unending frustration. But after countless wipeouts, the king conquered the long and short boards. 

And one day it hit him. Just how far he’d come. 

Thor was staring at Valkyrie as she rode the whitecaps, her hair billowing and laughter contagious. He was watching a young girl trail behind her, copying Valkyrie’s every move. And it really hit him. That he’d found peace, happiness, health and prosperity. 

Thor glanced up, then, at a bright blue sky dotted with pure white clouds. He thought of Loki, of Heimdall, of the Asgard of old. 

And just as Thor thought that he’d found the happiness Loki had promised he would, the clouds parted, the sun came out, and Thor smiled. 

**Author's Note:**

> This was inspired by @/azgardians’ tweet! And it’s for you, Erykah <3 Also, it’s unedited so apologies for any grammatical errors. pls comment and leave kudos <3


End file.
